191 



same vicinity. The Cetraria nivalis and C. cucuUata abound 

 in the pine woods, and here I first observed the Pinus taxi- 



folia 



Tiatum 



m 



Neckera Men 



the latter but rarely. At the head of Jasper^s Lake, our 

 tract led us over a rather lofty rock, where, besides the 



Saxif 



Dryas 



flowers, and also several of the alpine species of Potentilla. 

 Froni this rpck I obtained the first good view of the sur- 

 rounding mountains, which gratified me extremely- The 

 rocks are mountain limestone, and destitute of vegetation for 

 about one-third of their height, but whether this is owing to 

 their great elevation, or to a want of soil, I am *unable to 

 determine. The Red-Deer River at this place takes a bend 

 to the south, which it continues for upwards of 70 miles, 

 forming a narrow valley of about a mile in breadth, with a 

 fine range of mountains on each side, or they may rather be 

 called groupes of mountains, as they are frequently inter- 

 sected with deep narrow valleys, running in almost every 

 direction. Their general height, skirting the river, may be 

 computed at from 3 to 7,000 feet above it; there is generally 

 a secondary kind of range at their bases, probably formed by 

 the gradual crumbling down of the more elevated parts ; and 

 ahuost always clothed with vegetation to the very top, while 

 two-thirds or more of the highest range consists of nothing 

 but bare rock, destitute of even a Lichen ; a circumstance 

 ^liich I attribute more to the nature of the soil than to the 

 altitude of the mountains. The rocks frequently rise perpen- 

 dicularly to a considerable height, but their summits are so 

 sloping as to render them mostly accessible. On the whole, 

 I thought their vegetation less interesting than what I had 

 remarked on the rocks about the head of Clova and Loch- 

 "a-gar in Scotland. The dry arid sides of the low hills are 

 thickly covered with Arbutus uva-ursi, mixed sometimes with 

 Juniperus prostratus, a plant which is also frequent on the 

 steep and dry banks of the Saskatchawan. About half-way 

 between Jasper's House and the commencement of the 



VOL. 1. o 



